Sugar And Spice
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Eamonn does not know how to cook, and he finds it somewhat problematic, especially if he's dating a baker. In the meantime, the pressure of 'spicing up the romance' gets to Sylvan, and he knows he has to talk about it with his partner.


**Author note: I don't own "Yakitate! Japan" or "Emerald City."**

 **Like I did with Geist and Kamiizumi in Bravely Default/Second, I'm going to write a continuum for Meister and Eamonn! After posting "Home," I had way too many ideas of what I wanted to do with these two, and I saw how well-received "Home" was, and so I decided to extend this into a continuum of oneshots! I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy writing them!**

 **Warning: Spoilers for both "Yakitate! Japan" and "Emerald City," takes place post-Emerald City and just after the events of the oneshot "Home." In terms of the "Yakitate! Japan" canon plotline, it's taking place right before the Yakitate! 25/9 Arc starts. There are also some headcanons I have regarding the view of sex and sexual relationships in Oz thrown in there as well.**

 **EamonnxMeister is to be expected as well as warning beforehand for some discussion of sex, but nothing risqué happens.**

* * *

 _ **Sugar And Spice**_

Summary: Eamonn does not know how to cook, and he finds it somewhat problematic, especially if he's dating a baker. In the meantime, the pressure of 'spicing up the romance' gets to Sylvan, and he knows he has to talk about it with his partner.

* * *

Eamonn did not know how to cook. He knew enough to roast something on a spit, or where to find edible berries and plants when outside Emerald City, but that was it.

And honestly, it was _a bit embarrassing._

He never had to focus on skills like cooking, because there was always someone else providing meals back in Emerald City. A street vendor, maybe a small café or restaurant, servants at the Wizard's palace, and Maeve and Indra's home cooking. Even here at the Pantasia Main Branch, there were always people providing meals for the bakers themselves, as well as the rest of the staff, security guards included. So even then, Eamonn didn't have to necessarily worry about cooking for himself.

But…at the same time, he now courted a baker. Specifically a certain General Manager of Pantasia's Main Store.

Surely it would be a more meaningful gesture to actually cook him something? _Right?_

But who did he know well enough that could possibly teach him to cook? The people from the Monaco Cup were back at their respective branches, and technically Kai Suwabara was a baker working for the Main Branch and therefore shouldn't be disturbed. And it wasn't like Eamonn could ask Meister Kirisaki himself, right?

Which meant…

The Lion of Oz blanched.

Ryou Kuroyanagi was probably, most likely, his only choice to run to. But how well, exactly, would _that_ go?

* * *

" _Sooo, Kirisaki, how are you and Eamonn doing?"_

Meister Kirisaki could only sigh on the phone. "Matsushiro-san, I'm in the middle of work. And shouldn't you be helping Tsukino run Pantasia right now?"

" _I'm having a break. Thought I'd check up on you. I know you're swamped with paperwork…Have you been eating?"_

"Yes, I've been eating, and thank you for your concern. As for me and Eamonn…" The General Manager inhaled deeply, holding the phone in a hand as he flipped a page of one of his reports, "He and I are well. We…see each other, when we can. We talk. We listen to podcasts if we have enough time to spend, and if we don't, we try to at least listen to the episodes on our own time and talk about them when we see each other. I think it's good—"

" _Have you two gotten it on?"_

"What?!"

Matsushiro chuckled. _"You're both grown adults! Hell, he's older than you! Surely one or both of you have urges!"_

"For the love of Pantasia," Sylvan glared, even though Matsushiro was not visibly in the room with him and just on the other end of the phone, "Do you honestly think we'd get down to _that?_ We just started dating! And we're still keeping our relationship away from public eyes—we took a risk, going to France together when we were only about two weeks into the relationship."

" _You didn't get caught in France."_ Matsushiro pointed out. _"Given how Eamonn's a total foreigner and how you're only half-Japanese, you both could probably get away with it being out in the open if it happens."_

"That might be true, but I don't want to risk our relationship being out in the open or having sex so soon. It's…something I need to talk about with Eamonn."

"Well, you do what you need to do. Wish you luck." A chuckle escaped the South Tokyo Branch manager, before hanging up.

Sylvan sighed, put down the phone, and frowned. Matsushiro did have a point—he would have to talk it out with Eamonn at some point. But…how well would _that_ go?

* * *

"I need your help."

"Still having trouble with the taser?"

"No, it's not that." Eamonn had a feeling it would never stop being a point of teasing for Kuroyanagi. Then again, he supposed Kuroyanagi didn't have much else to do other than yelling at all the incompetent bakers and staff all the time. "I want to bake something for Syl—for Meister."

Kuroyanagi stared. "…Do you not know how to bake?"

Eamonn could only shake his head, bracing himself for a barrage of insults. He knew the man loved to insult all the incompetent bakers and the rest of the staff. It seemed to be the _pride and joy_ of Ryou Kuroyanagi to insult everyone incompetent at doing their job!

Just because both of them had different jobs in the same workplace, as well as Eamonn being Meister Kirisaki's _'romantic confidante'_ as Meister Kirisaki himself so eloquently put it back in France, that did not necessarily mean Eamonn was free from insults. _Especially if one considered the taser incident_.

"Well," Kuroyanagi ran a hand through his own raven hair, sighing, "It can't helped. I'll give you some pointers, if you'd like."

Eamonn stared back at him. "No insults? Nothing?"

"You expected that?"

"Kind of."

Kuroyanagi gave him a look. "I am only being nice because you and Meister are dating. If word got out from you that I was insulting you the whole time you try baking something for him, I already know he'd give me a talking-to."

"…Oh." So that's why. The perks of being Meister Kirisaki's romantic confidante, Eamonn supposed, but he'd take it. "Well, thank you for saying you'll refrain from insulting me beforehand."

Kuroyanagi simply glared at him. "I'm not going to let you accidentally give him food poisoning like most idiots would with their first time cooking! That is one thing I'm not letting happen."

He gestured with a hand for Eamonn to follow him to one of the spare kitchens, and as they did so, Eamonn couldn't help but ask,

"…Have you accidentally poisoned him with food before?"

Another glare, with no answer, and Eamonn decided it was best not to push it any further if he still wanted help.

* * *

After several mistakes, a lot of shouting from Kuroyanagi, and setting the fire alarm at least twice, Eamonn finally made something (even if the damages came from his next paycheck).

Castella. A type of sponge cake.

It was just a plain, small castella, but at least it was something. Eamonn hoped putting it in a nice box with a ribbon wrapped around it improved its aesthetic appearance.

He knocked on the door of Sylvan's office, and he heard the "Come in," and so he entered.

Sylvan blinked, looking across the office to the former Lion of Oz. "Eamonn."

"Sylvan." Eamonn looked down at the box in his hands, then walked over to his desk, presenting it to him. "I made this for you. Kuroyanagi helped. The fire alarms…those are my fault, both times."

Both of them got used to calling each other by first name in private, but it still got awkward when it was just the two of them. It was a welcome awkwardness, in a way, and to be fair they only just started dating…what, a month ago now? They were working on it.

Sylvan looked to the box, then stood to face the other properly, a faint grin on his face. "You made this for me?"

"Yes." The former Lion of Oz offered the General Manager a smile in return. "I hope you like it."

"Thank you." Sylvan took the box from him, and gently put it down on the desk before looking to him again. "I'm glad you came, actually, because…there's something we need to talk about."

Eamonn frowned. "What is it?"

Was it something about St. Pierre and its doings with Pantasia? Ever since St. Pierre bought up Pantasia by around the end of the Monaco Cup, Tsukino Azusagawa was put in charge of Pantasia, while her older sister Yukino was technically in charge of St. Pierre…and, well, Sylvan had been trying to help Tsukino run Pantasia, since the girl was still in highschool and no one expected such a decision from Yuiichi Kirisaki to begin with. Was it something that would affect Sylvan himself?

"Um…what are your opinions on the whole notion of sex in romantic relationships?" Sylvan, despite still wearing his mask, looked a bit discomforted. "I know it's a bit personal, but…I'm just curious."

Nope. It wasn't related to anything Eamonn thought it might be _at all._

"…" Eamonn wasn't sure what to say. "That _is_ very personal, Sylvan."

"Yes. I am aware. I apologize for your discomfort at something so sudden as this. I just…" Sylvan shook his head, "I don't know what it's like back in Oz with views of pre-marital sex or whatever sort. What kind of customs do they have about that?"

"Well…" Eamonn blanched. "…There was brothel in Emerald City that Mistress West ran. I never went there."

Sylvan had this really awkward look on his face at that statement, but Eamonn kept going. "Some people waited until marriage for sex, some didn't. No one really cared, as long no affairs were found out. It's only more shocking if Glinda's nuns end up having sex, because that breaks their vows of chastity."

"Were there any specific rules about people in same-sex relations in Oz? Or about them actually going at it?"

"Not to my knowledge, no."

"I see."

 _Why ask about sexual relationships?_ Eamonn tilted his head, faintly, pausing before asking, "Is…sex between two men disallowed here in Japan?"

Sylvan swallowed, before shaking his head. "Actual sex between any two people of the same gender isn't disallowed, but…same-sex marriage _is_ disallowed _._ I personally don't understand the logic behind it. However, back in France, same-sex marriage, as well as actual sex between two people of the same gender, is legal."

"I see." Eamonn absorbed that information. He supposed it made sense that various people would have different rules about the same issues or situations, but even he didn't really get the logic behind banning it either.

Wait. _Did that mean…_

"Are you asking about the whole sex situation because you don't want us to…break a law or something?"

"That was one of the reasons. But another thing is—the main thing is—I assume you've been intimate before in past relationships." How _else_ would Eamonn have kids in the past, unless he happened to adopt all of them (which was not a bad thing, Sylvan knew, being an adopted child himself)? "That's all fine and good, but for me…I don't feel any sexual feelings. I don't think I do, at least. I'm not repulsed by the concept, but it's just something I don't really want to do."

It took a moment or two for that to click.

"So...like an ideal nun, but internally?"

Sylvan chuckled at that, but shook his head. "I'm guessing the term 'asexual' never was a concept in Oz?"

Eamonn shook his head in return. "No."

"It basically means I have no sexual feelings or desires at all."

Okay, that made sense. Thank goodness for that. "I'm…guessing, from you telling me this, that…you don't want to have sex involved in our relationship."

"That's what I want to say. What I was about to say."

The other nodded. "Then that's fine."

Sylvan blinked. "What?"

That wasn't what he expected.

Eamonn simply shrugged, pushing some stray strands of hair behind his ear. "I didn't go into this relationship thinking that we'd end up getting physically intimate. Besides kissing and occasionally sharing a bed." He then grimaced, thinking back to when he and Sylvan first kissed, how tired the younger man was at the time. "After all, we're both so busy that I don't understand how _anyone_ finds the time, let alone the energy."

Sylvan broke into laughter, leaning back against the desk, and the other joined in.

"So," The General Manager finally managed, after the laughter ceased, "We're all good with no sex?"

"I think it's good."

"Oh, good…" Sylvan looked to him, briefly closing his eyes. "I was worried it would be more complicated. This whole discussion. I'm glad it came out simpler than I thought."

"I'm glad, too. Um…" Eamonn remembered, and he took out some crumpled up tissue from his pocket, offering it to the other. "Here. In case of crumbs, from the castella. It's the first time I made it, so I hope it's at least edible."

"I'm sure it is." Sylvan shot him a smile, before picking up the box from the desk and unwrapping the ribbon. Upon opening the box, his smile widened. "Castella? It's been a while since I had a sweet treat." He looked up at Eamonn, and Eamonn couldn't see from behind the mask but he wondered if the other raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to try it with me? I mean, it's the first thing you've made, and I'm sure you'd want a taste."

The Lion of Oz shook his head. "It's for you, you alone should eat it."

"Maybe it's our way of commemorating the occasion." The other coaxed. "How about it?"

"…Alright." Eamonn smiled, just before Sylvan split the small castella into two pieces, handing one to him. Both of them ended up briefly touching both pieces of castella together, their way of cheers without alcohol, before they took a bite.

It was plainer than Eamonn thought it would be, but there was still a bit of sweetness to it.

"Not bad." Sylvan spoke up. Eamonn swallowed his bite of castella, watching him still smile. "Not bad at all. It's a start."

"You're right." Eamonn leaned forwards to kiss him, and Sylvan let him. "It's a start."


End file.
